Various vehicles, like bicycles, use force applied to pedals to drive the vehicles. On these vehicles, pedals are pushed or pulled by a rider's feet and attached to a crank arm mechanism that transforms force at the pedals into rotary motion. This rotary motion is transmitted through a power transmission system to a wheel or wheels, which transfers rotary motion to the ground via tractive force between a wheel or wheels and the ground. Vehicles are also used to traverse even terrain like paved streets, and uneven terrain like off-road dirt trails. Off road trails are generally bumpier and have obstacles such as fallen trees, rocks, and mud. BMX style trick riding is a popular activity on paved streets and in bike parks built for that purpose. Obstacles like paved curbs, stone architectural details, wood benches, and metal rails are commonly found in the street and bike park environments. Because of a bicycle pedal's location close to the ground, impacts with these obstacles are common. Impact between a pedal and an obstacle typically can result in a broken pedal or damage to environmental structures. This damage can pose a safety hazard to both the rider and bystanders. Typical pedals are built using one-piece metal or plastic construction; therefore, when damage to the pedal occurs, the entire pedal must be discarded. This is both wasteful and costly.
A need exists for a bicycle pedal that can withstand impact while remaining cost effective to produce and maintain. The present invention provides new designs for bicycle pedals that can more effectively mitigate impact, reduce damage to architectural details, and are cost effective to repair.